Stephanus 114

114a To the firstborn he allotted the dwelling of the mother and the lands that lay round about it, which were the largest and the best, and he made him king over the rest, and the rest he made chiefs, giving to each rule over a host of people and a broad stretch of country. And he gave names to them all. To the eldest, who was king, he gave the name from which the whole island and the ocean too took theirs, both called Atlantic, because Atlas was the name of the first who was king 114b in those days. The twin born after him, whose allotment had fallen at the far end of the island toward the Pillars of Heracles, at the spot now called after that region the Gadeiran country, he named in Greek Eumelus, and in the speech of the land Gadeirus—which must be what gave that land its name. Of the second pair of twins, one he called Ampheres and the other Evaemon; of the third, Mneseus the elder 114c and Autochthon the one born after him; of the fourth, Elasippus the elder and Mestor the younger; and for the fifth pair, the name Azaes was set for the elder and Diaprepes for the younger. All these, they themselves and their descendants after them, dwelt there through many generations, chiefs of many other islands scattered over the ocean, and rulers besides, as was said before, of all the peoples this side of it, as far as Egypt and Tyrrhenia. 114d From Atlas, then, besides these, there sprang another line, numerous and held in honor; and they kept the kingship safe through many generations, the eldest king always handing it on to the eldest of his offspring. Their wealth was of such magnitude as had never yet come to any royal house before, nor would it be easy to come again afterward; and everything had been furnished for them that in a city, or in the country at large, it was a task to furnish. For much came in to them from abroad 114e through the reach of their empire, and the island itself supplied most of what was needed for living: first, all that is dug out of the mines, the solid metals, and all that can be smelted; and that substance which today keeps only its name—orichalcum, dug from the earth in those days in many places of the island and then more than a name, the most precious of all things then in being after gold—and all the timber that the work of their builders required, all this the island bore in abundance, while it fed a plentiful stock of animals, tame and wild alike.

Critias: And there was in it, too, the greatest plenty of elephants; for pasture was at hand in abundance for all the other creatures—those that haunt the marshes and lakes and rivers, those

114a To the first-born son he gave the home of their mother and the allotment of land around it, which was the largest and the best, and he made him king over the others. The others he made rulers, and to each he gave command over many people and a place with much land. He gave names to all of them. The oldest son, who was king, received the name that the whole island and the sea took from him. The sea is called Atlantic, 114b because Atlas was the name of the first king at that time. The twin born after him had drawn as his lot the end of the island at the Pillars of Heracles, facing the country that in that region is now called the land of Gadeira. His name in Greek was Eumelus, but in the speech of the country it was Gadeirus, and that name is likely the one the country was named from. Of the second pair of twins he called one Ampheres and the other Evaemon. To the third pair he gave Mneseus for the one born first, 114c and Autochthon for the one born after him. Of the fourth pair, the first was Elasippus and the younger was Mestor. For the fifth pair, the name Azaes was set for the older one, and Diaprepes for the younger. All these sons, and the children born to them, lived as rulers for many generations. They were lords of many other islands in the sea. And, as was said before, they also governed the peoples here inside, as far as Egypt and Tyrrhenia. 114d From Atlas there grew a family very large in number and honored. The kingship always passed from the oldest king to the oldest of his descendants, and they kept it safe for many generations. They held wealth of a size that no royal house had ever had before, and that it would not be easy to have again later. Everything was furnished for them that needed to be furnished, both in the city and in the rest of the country. Much came to them because of their empire 114e from outside, but the island itself gave most of what was needed for life. First, whatever is dug out by mining, the solid ores and the metals that melt. And the kind that is now called orichalc alone—in that time the name fit more than one kind of thing dug from the earth. Orichalc was mined in many places on the island, and it was the most precious thing in the world then, except gold. The island also bore all the timber needed for the works of carpenters, and it gave plenty of it. And it fed plenty of animals, both tame and wild.

Critias: There were also elephants on the island, in very great numbers. There was pasture for the other animals too, the ones that live in the marshes and the lakes and the rivers, the ones

114a his mother's dwelling and the allotment surrounding it, which was the largest and best; and him he appointed to be king over the rest, and the others to be rulers, granting to each the rule over many men and a large tract of country. And to all of them he gave names, giving to him that was eldest and king the name after which the whole island was called and the sea spoken of as the Atlantic, because the first king who then reigned had the name of Atlas. And the name of his younger twin-brother, 114b who had for his portion the extremity of the island near the pillars of Heracles up to the part of the country now called Gadeira after the name of that region, was Eumelus in Greek, but in the native tongue Gadeirus,—which fact may have given its title to the country. And of the pair that were born next he called the one Ampheres and the other Evaemon; and of the third pair the elder was named Mneseus 114c and the younger Autochthon; and of the fourth pair, he called the first Elasippus and the second Mestor; and of the fifth pair, Azaes was the name given to the elder, and Diaprepes to the second. So all these, themselves and their descendants, dwelt for many generations bearing rule over many other islands throughout the sea, and holding sway besides, as was previously stated, over the Mediterranean peoples as far as Egypt and Tuscany.

Now a large family of distinguished sons sprang from Atlas; 114d but it was the eldest, who, as king, always passed on the scepter to the eldest of his sons, and thus they preserved the sovereignty for many generations; and the wealth they possessed was so immense that the like had never been seen before in any royal house nor will ever easily be seen again; and they were provided with everything of which provision was needed either in the city or throughout the rest of the country. For because of their headship they had a large supply of imports from abroad, 114e and the island itself furnished most of the requirements of daily life,—metals, to begin with, both the hard kind and the fusible kind, which are extracted by mining, and also that kind which is now known only by name but was more than a name then, there being mines of it in many places of the island,—I mean orichalcum, which was the most precious of the metals then known, except gold. It brought forth also in abundance all the timbers that a forest provides for the labors of carpenters; and of animals it produced a sufficiency, both of tame and wild.

Critias: Moreover, it contained a very large stock of elephants; for there was an ample food-supply not only for all the other animals which haunt the marshes and lakes and rivers,